Heney m



such as table-tops, toilet and other fancy boxes, pauairltt Wil esia nE RYQ Q JOHNSTONQOFINEW ironic-N. Y.

1 C fettercilatcnt No. 105,576, dated July '19, 1870; antedated July 8, 1870.

mrnovnmnnr m rno'rnc'rme AND 'BnA 'rIr-YING oRYs'rALnI'zzin METALLIC H SURIE'AGES.

. TheSchedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same;

Toall whom it may concern Be it known, that I, HENRY M.'JOHNSTON, of ,the

city, county, an'd'State of New York, have invented a. a new and useful Improvement in Protecting andBeauv tifying Grystallized Metallic Surfaces; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof. It is well knowuthattin, when superficially subjected to the action of dilute acid solutions, (generally some modificationof the nitro-hydrochloric,)so'as to remove the surface film, and then being well washed and dried, will exhibit, by reflected light, the crystal- ,linc texture present in all pure tin.

. By the use of artificial means the crystalline structure of the tin may be modified previous to its treat ment with the acid solutions, and thereby the most beautiful and rariedresults may be obtained. Tinplate and foil sotreated has been in use for various,

kinds ofornamentation,and. known under the name of moire mtall'ique.

In order to preserve-the brilliancy of these crystallized surfaces, the method of coatingthcm with transparent or colored varnish or gelatine has been in use,

butthis methodhas been but partially successful, as

the varnish soon becomes dull and defaced by use, and does not wholly protect the crystallized-surface of the tin from atmospheric action.

The object of my invention is to protect and beantify crystallized surfaces of tin, therebyfitting them for various pnrposes of decoration or ornamentation,

els for furniture and doors, summer-pieces for grates,

ornamental letters, and a; great variety of useful and ornamental-purposes.

To enable others skillc'din the artto make and use myinvention, I- will proceed to describe its mode of construction and application to use.

I take a pieceof glass or-mica, and, having cleaned its surface, I pour upon it (using care not to produce air-bubbles) some Canada balsam, Venice turpentine, or other suitable transparent'adhesive substance. I

I then place the crystallized surface of the tin to be protected in contact with the adhesive substance, and

then make use of a flat dull-edged tool, and slide the edge of it, with slight pressure, over theflback of the tin, thereby causing theadhesive substance to flow to seal the crystallized tin surface to the glass or mica, I then clean ofl the excess and allow the edges to dry,

when the crystallized tin surface will be found to be hermetically and permanently sealed to the glass or mica. In precisely the same manner, tin having. both of its surfaces crystallized maybe sealed betweemtwo pieces of glass or mica. This method is desirable when panels are to be made for doors, or where both sides are exposed t6 view.

It will be readily understood that any suitable device may be employed to cause the adhesive substance to flow and seal the crystallized surface of the tin to the glass or mica, without departing from the nature of my invention.

In cases where the crystallized tin is very thin, and only one side is to be scaled to the glass or mica, I then prefer coating the back of the'tiu withpaper,-so as to protect it from the friction used in sealing.

it (with a brush) a thin varnish of shellac, dissolved in alcohol, and, when the alcohol has partly evaporated, I then attach the paper to the varnished surface of tinby friction with the hand.

Formosi; purposes it is desirable to view the crysfallized surface of the tin through a colored medium, in which case I varnish the surface of either the glass, mica, or crystallized tin .with a transparent varnish of the desired color, and, after it has dried, I then seal the crystallized surface of the tin to the colored. surface ofthe glass or Inica,'as before. By varnishing the surface of the glass or mica with a varnish of one color, and the surface of the crystallized tin with that of another color, and then sealing the two varnished or colored surfaces together, a variety of tints or colors can he obtained that it-would be impossible to get by admixture of colors to the var nish.

The surfaces of the crystallized tin, glass, ormica can be ornamented with gilding, or in any other desirable way, before sealing them together.

Very beautiful mosaics can be made by cutting the sections of a design from crystallized tiu that-has been varnished with various harmonious colors, and then sealing eachZ-section to the glass or mica separately.

2. Hermetically sealing surfaces of crystallized tin,

whether .plain, colored, or ornamented, to or between plain, co1ored, or ornamented glassor mica, in the manner described, and for the purpose substantially as set forth. n

'. HENRY M; JOHNSTON. Witnesses:

O; S.- Fonnnrr, Davin .EAnLn.

The tin may be readily-coated with the paper by spreading on 

